Jesse was grinning as he unpacked the food that just got delivered for dinner. His face hurt from grinning so much. After placing it on the kitchen island, he started to make his way to Beca's bedroom. She said to wake her up when dinner arrives.
He pushed the door open and peeked his head then frowned hearing her moan in her sleep. He wondered if the fact that she was sleeping on her stomach was somehow making her hurt.
"Bec?" he called as he gently shook her.
Beca sighed, her eyes still closed, waking up.
"You okay?" he asked once she rolled over and sat up.
She nodded, running her hand over her face.
"You sure?" he wondered as he eyed her.
She nodded and pushed the covers aside before she got up.
"Were you having a bad dream?" he guessed watching her rub her eye while wearing her slippers.
"Why? Did I say something?" she asked after a beat, praying she didn't. He interrupted a sex dream when he woke her up and she kinda hated him for it but not so much because painful cramps always came after she'd wake up from an orgasm.
"You were moaning," he paused. "Are you hurting? Wanna head to the hospital?" he asked, sounding worried.
"No, I'm fine," she assured him.
He didn't quite believe her because her voice betrayed her.
"So, how and when are we telling people?" Jesse asked as they dined. Beca was a little too quiet and her behavior began to worry him.
"Huh?" she looked up.
"About Joseph?" he grinned.
His grinned widened when her face lit up as she smiled.
"I haven't thought about it," she shrugged. "The ball is in your court, dude," she said as chewed.
They fell into silence once again.
"Okay, what's wrong?" he asked, not bearing the silence.
"Nothing," Beca answered.
"You're too quiet. We just found out what we're having today, for heaven's sake! Are you giving me the silence treatment for getting hit by a car?" He watched her sigh and grab a napkin to wipe her mouth with.
"Jesse, I'm fine. Nothing is wrong."
He scratched his head, thinking that she had shut him out, blaming himself and hating it.
"Wanna hear something weird that happened before you showed up at the doctor's office?" Beca said, noting the way Jesse seemed angry with himself, in an attempt to make him believe that everything was fine with her. She was just horny and couldn't exactly tell him. She just wanted to finish eating and go give herself some good ol' release.
"What?" he frowned.
"Some nurse hit on me," she told him.
"Why is that weird?" he wondered.
"He knew I'm pregnant and asked me out."
"He," he paused, thinking. "I saw a male nurse checking you out there, he had bright blue eyes. Is it the guy that asked you out?"
Beca nodded.
"Only reasonable explanation I got is that he's got some sort of a fetish. Because who would find a person who has someone growing inside of them attractive," she added.
Jesse rubbed the back of his neck. "A lot, trust me," he told her as he looked at his empty plate.
She noticed how he had been rubbing his neck uncomfortably and wanted to help, knowing that spending multiple nights on the couch were the main cause of his neck pain and guessing that getting hit by a car made it worse.
"Jesse, are you done eating?" she asked as she sucked her teeth.
"Yeah," he nodded and watched her get up.
"I'll take care of this," he picked a plate up.
"Later," she said and took his hand, guiding him to the couch.
He sat down in confusion but didn't question her. He soon felt her small hands on the back of his neck after she climbed on the couch. "Tell me if it starts to hurt, okay?" she said and began massaging the back of his neck.
Jesse nodded, closing his eyes.
His body aches badly and he was hiding it from her. The massage felt so good, he didn't want her to stop. He didn't realize a massage was what he needed. He was usually the one giving them. He only remembered how good it was to receive when Beca gave him a neck rub, despite the fact that she hated how it made her hands ache afterward.
"Thanks, Bec," he thanked her once she removed her warm hands. He turned around in a way he'd face her to do what he always did whenever she gave him a neck rub; rub her hands.
"We could call our parents and text the rest about Joseph," he said as he took both of her hands in one hand.
"I'm not calling mine," she told him. "I can't deal with mom now. All she does is lecture me about what to do and what not to do while pregnant," she said in boredom.
"Well, you never ask her for advice," he shrugged.
"I have a doctor that is more than willing to tell me everything I need to know," she replied.
"Bec, true but he never had a human being grow inside him, your mom did," Jesse said in an attempt to get her to pick up the phone and give her worried mother a piece of mind.
He remembered very well what Dr. Mitchell told him about how his first wife, Beca's mom, Nicole, had a miscarriage before having Beca. It was the reason she was paranoid about her daughter.
She thought Beca was engaged to get married after having her baby and the fact that the pregnancy was unplanned it put Beca in the same position as her: Dr. Mitchell and Nicole got married because they were expecting. They lost the baby then had Beca later but the miscarriage affected their marriage badly and they thought having Beca could fill the void. It didn't.
Nicole simply didn't want her daughter to go through what she did which is why she was constantly nagging her.
Beca, of course, unaware, hated it and thought it was just her mom thinking low of her and her ability to take care of her own baby.
"There must be something you don't need a doctor for," he said and pulled closer to him.
"Like what?"
"Um, stretch marks. They're genetic. Ask her if they went away after she had you so that you know if you gotta worry about them or not," he shrugged.
"Actually, that's a pretty good point," she nodded. "Thanks," she thanked him.
Jesse let go of her hands when she pulled her left hand and ran her fingers over the scratches on his face.
"Are there any others I can't see?" she asked.
Jesse shook his head, unable to say a word because of her touch.
"Why do I have a feeling that's not true," she said moving her hand from cheek and resting it on his neck. Jesse closed his eyes when her hand went to the back of his neck and pulled him to her gently. He missed her touch but promised himself that he wouldn't initiate anything unless she asked.
Beca didn't say the magic words nor clenched his shirt so he just sat there waited for her next move.
Jesse felt her breathing as it got hitched before she leaned in. Then, she kissed him. He kissed her back slowly and placed his hand on her waist when she threw her arm around his shoulder and basically jumped him kissing him hungrily.
Jesse threw his arm over the couch to make sure he wouldn't hurt his wrist while he dug his fingers in her waist when her kisses got a bit too demanding.
Beca pulled away when Bender barked jumping on the couch. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand while trying to control her breathing.
She closed her eyes and removed the hand that was gripping Jesse's hair and shook her head before getting up.
"I'm sorry for assaulting your face," she apologized and made her way to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Jesse blew a breath and looked at Bender before he shifted uncomfortably because of the erection he got from making out with Beca. He rubbed Bender's head then got up, planning to go clean the kitchen island.
Jesse had just begun cleaning when he heard Beca unlock the door. He tilted his head and watched her walk to him.
"Jesse," she called as she tried to walk faster.
Jesse dropped what he was doing and paced to her, meeting her halfway.
"Can you feel it?" she asked in excitement as she took his hand and placed it on her belly.
"Feel what exactly?" he asked.
"Joe just kicked," she told him a little bummed out that he couldn't feel it. "I thought it was strong enough for you to feel it," she added.
"Is he kicking right now?" Jesse asked as he moved his hand around.
"No, but he was like have a minute ago," she sighed.
"Was he kicking when we were..."
"No," she shook her head.
"You think it had something to do with it?" he asked.
"I read that baby reacts to how I'm feeling," she paused when he frowned. She was pretty sure her kid could feel her frustration.
Jesse, at that moment, wanted to pick her up and take her to her bedroom to rock her world and make her feel good. He removed his hand from her belly and stepped back, keeping some distance between them because he couldn't do it without her permission.
She didn't make a move so he went back to cleaning the kitchen island giving himself some distraction from what he really wanted.
Beca stood and watched him for a few seconds then turned on her heels and went back to her bedroom.
Jesse thought of how he could make Beca feel a little better without sex and figured he'd make something she loved eating as a late night snack; waffles drowning in whipped cream.
Gotta start somewhere, right?
Jesse knocked on the door and waited. He checked the time and wondered if she was asleep then quietly unlocked the door. He heard the shower run so he widely opened the door.
"Bec," he called in a voice loud enough for her to hear.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"I made waffles," he said and heard her turn off the water.
"Thanks," she thanked him from inside the bathroom.
He placed the tray on the nightstand and was about to leave the room when he noticed what was Beca's laptop: she was looking up apartments for sale in New York.
"Beca," he pointed at the laptop when she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, her cheek were flushed from the shower, her hair just towel dried was over her shoulders. She looked hot and it took him a second to get his shit together. Jesse cleared his throat and said, "what's this?"
"My laptop?" she answered and tucked her hair behind her ear as she made her way to her wardrobe.
"Bec, why aren't I aware of this?" he asked in the calmest tone he could muster.
"Because I just started looking," she said she turned to look at him.
"You agreed to stay until we have the baby," he reminded her.
"Yeah, well, I can't," she paused. "Jesse, I can't continue to live with you," she said while she held his gaze hoping he'd understand how hard it is to live with him.
"Who is going to look after you?" he asked.
"I can look after myself," she said.
"What if you go into preterm labor who's going to be there for you, have you thought about that?"
"Jesus Christ, Jesse," she exclaimed. "Please, try to understand."
"Understand what? The fact that you're willing to go live all alone just because you want to have sex with me?"
"Yes! It's confusing and wrong. I can't do it," she shrugged.
"What's so wrong with sleeping with someone you love? I know you don't think we have a future but I'm very sure you love me. And I will get you back, Beca," he firmly said. He saw the way her pupils dilated at his words which meant that what he said turned her on and took a few steps forward.
Beca blinked when he kept gazing into her eyes.
"Are you in denial or something?" she asked. "We're on a break. We're supposed to be apart."
"We talked about this. We're putting our differences on hold until we have the baby!"
Beca was about to say something then didn't, instead she placed a hand on her belly.
"What?" Jesse asked, slightly worried.
"He's kicking," Beca said and reached for Jesse's hand. She slipped it under her robe so that he'd have direct contact with her skin.
"Holy shit," he let out a small laugh and grinned feeling a kick. "Hi there, little guy," Jesse softly said, moving his hand around. "Are you stretching or trying to tell us something?" he asked.
"He's probably reacting to how pissed off I am," she said.
"Don't pick a fight now," he looked up.
"We were in the middle of one. And it's making me so so horny," she said and pulled him down to her, pressing her lips against his. He knew she'd regret doing it but didn't stop her because he saw how much she needed it.
He picked her up and helped her wrap her legs around his waist, ignoring the pain he felt coming from his wrist, never breaking the kiss then sat down on the bed.
She gripped his hair, digging her nails into his scalp while kissing him senseless.
"Jesse," she said pulling away to catch her breath.
"Yes," Jesse breathlessly said.
"Leave." She got up and gave him her back. "Please, leave now," she said and closed her eyes hearing him get up and leave the room. She blew a breath hearing him close the front door behind him after leaving the apartment.
Jesse found himself wandering around near a bar not far away from his apartment. He wanted to stay relatively close to home in case something happened.
It was a cold November night and he was feeling like shit but not shitty enough to break his sobriety. Yes, Beca was driving him crazy with her hot and cold shit but he knew she couldn't really control her attraction to him and was trying to do what she thought what right.
Jesse stepped inside the bar and took a seat on a stool.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
"Root beer, please," Jesse said and tried to smile at the bartender.
"Thanks," Jesse thanked the bartender once he placed the non-alcoholic drink in front of him. He took a sip from the sugary drink that shouldn't really be called beer.
He hated what Beca was doing so much but couldn't hate her for it.
Beca was planning on moving out and he knew he had to come to terms with her choices eventually. He glanced to his right hearing a woman take a seat next to him while she hummed ain't goin' down til the sun comes up. She drummed her fingers and stopped humming to call the bartender, "Hey, yo, Micheal, Surfer on Acid, please," she said then turned to Jesse feeling his gaze.
She frowned eyeing him. "You look familiar," she said.
Jesse recognized the woman. He had been looking for her for a while.
He ran into her in front of a drug store, she was hungover and yelling at her bag when he met her. She was late for an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting and needed something for her head. He helped her out then and kept thinking about her because she would help a lot in a movie project he was planning. He wanted to make a film about recovering from an addiction and need more than his short experience with addiction as source material.
"Chimichanga," she snapped her fingers remembering him.
"It's Jesse," he told her.
"I'm Christina," she introduced herself.
Jesse nodded and picked his drink up and brought it to his lips. Despite the fact that he had been looking for Christina he had no desire to talk to her or anyone for that matter.
"It's 11:40 pm on a Wednesday night and you're at a bar drinking," she glanced at his drink, "Root beer?" she said in confusion reading the label.
"I don't drink alcohol," he shrugged.
"Then what are you doing at a bar?" she wondered.
"I don't know," he sighed. "My," he paused, not knowing what to refer to Beca as. "I just had a fight with my girlfriend and she asked me to leave and I didn't want to get far from home in case she needs something," he paused, "she's pregnant and not really my girlfriend anymore."
He heard Christina say, "Oh." She looked up at the bartender and thanked him.
She looked up at the bartender and thanked him.
"Do you still go to AA meetings?" Jesse asked once Christina took a sip from her drink.
She nodded swallowing. "Sometimes, when my godfather is in town," she told him.
"Oh, okay," Jesse said and held his beer shaking it.
"What are you having?" Christina asked after a beat.
"A boy," he paused to take a sip. "We found out today," he smiled in spite of himself then sighed. "What do they do in AA meetings exactly?" Jesse asked, resting his elbow on the counter and cheek on his palm tilting his head to keep eye contact.
"Mostly talk about their feelings," she paused. "Wait, you don't drink, right?"
Jesse nodded. "I haven't had a sip in like 5 years now," he told her.
"5 fucking years," she said in awe.
"Yep," he nodded.
"How come you never been to an AA meeting then?"
"Didn't need it," he shrugged. "Actually, I did but I didn't think I did," he corrected himself.
"How did you quit then?" she asked.
"I ate a lot of chimichangas," he joked not feeling like taking a stroll down memory lane.
"Okay, I'll make sure to tell people about this next time I go to an AA meeting," she chuckled and took a sip from her drink.
"You welcome," he smiled at her weakly. He watched her drown her drink then gesture for a refill.
"So what do you do for a living?" she asked accepting the refill.
"I'm a composer mainly, but I'm into filmmaking as well," he told her.
"Worked in anything I might have come across?" she asked.
"I work in indie stuff mostly, I doubt it," he shrugged. "I did direct a music video for a song that went platinum here in the US," he told her and pulled his phone from pocket and looked up the music video he directed for the Barden Bellas then handed her his phone.
"This is your friend," Christina said as she watched the music video. "The one that drove me to the hospital," she glanced up, recognizing Beca. He nodded and sipped his beer.
"I had just stopped drinking back then," he shared with her once she had finished watching it.
"Good times, huh?" She brought her drink to her lips.
"Oh yeah," he chuckled in spite of himself. "What about you, what do you do?" Jesse asked, feeling more social.
"I drink," she held her drink up.
"What, like a professional taster?" he asked.
"More or less, except I pay for the drinks usually," she told him with a shrug.
"Huh, so you're in between jobs now?" He brought his own drink to his lips.
"Worked as a headhunter for half a decade," she informed him. "Then my parents passed away and they're filthy rich and I'm an only child so there was no need for a day job," she sighed.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Jesse sincerely said.
"Thanks," she thanked him and drowned her drink. "You're not gonna ask if it has anything to do with my "drinking problem"?" she asked using air quotation.
"Personally speaking, I hate talking about what made me turn to alcohol, so no," he shrugged.
"I appreciate that, Chimichanga." Christina patted his shoulder.
Jesse rubbed his temples then groaned before resting his head on the counter. "I don't know what to do with her," he mumbled.
"Your ex-girlfriend?" Christina wondered, gesturing for a refill.
Jesse nodded into the counter. "She's driving me crazy." He looked up. "I can roll with her usual schtick but I don't think I can roll with not having her within reach especially when she's pregnant. I hate what she's doing so much but I can't fucking hate her!" he told Christina in frustration. Christina kept awkwardly looking at him not knowing what to say.
"You really love her, huh?" Christina wondered.
"Oh yeah, so much, it's disgusting, actually." He sat up.
"And she doesn't anymore?"
"No, she loves me all right. She's just doubting our relationship," he sighed. "I don't want to lose her but she keeps pushing me away," he mumbled rubbing his face.
"She'll come around," she apologetically said and patted his shoulder again and accepted her drink.
"I surely hope so." He scratched his head then checked the time. It was past midnight. He glanced at Christina was drowning her drink. "You always hang here?" he asked her.
"Yeah," she nodded, licking her lips. "It's close to my place," she shrugged and smiled at the alcohol buzz she was feeling. He smiled back at her and shook the empty bottle then gestured for another one root beer.
"Hey, what's that song that goes like 'This woman is my destiny. She said: ooooh, shut up and dance with me'?" Christina slurred, resting her weight on Jesse who was trying to unlock the door to her apartment.
"Shut up and dance by walk the moon," he answered, turning the key and unlocking it. "C'mon," he said as he carried her into the apartment. He flipped the light switch then looked around before he started making his way towards what he figured was her bedroom.
"I'm gonna get you some water and something to eat, okay? Don't fall asleep just yet," Jesse said as he helped her take off her shoes after he sat her down on the bed.
Christina nodded and ran a hand over her face.
Jesse sighed when he heard her slam onto the bed as he made his way to the kitchen. He could have been home hours ago if he wanted but he liked being around Christina and he had a feeling she wouldn't find her way home with the way she was drowning her drinks, so he stuck around at the bar.
"What are you doing?" he asked in amusement when walked back to Christina's bedroom and found her fumbling with an iPod.
She placed the device in its dock system.
Jesse shook his head in amusement when shut up and dance started playing. He watched Christina dance along as she walked to him. He sighed and put the glass of water and crackers he was holding on the nightstand before he took her hand.
"She took my arm I don't know how it happened. We took the floor and she said" Jesse sang along to the song, wondering when the woman dancing with him was going to crash. "Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me. I said "You're holding back," "She said"," he sang to her.
"Shut up and dance with me" Christina sang back while grinning.
"This woman is my destiny. She said." Jesse watched her walk backward as she danced then reached for her arm to keep her from falling when she tripped.
"Oooooh, shut up and dance with me," Christina sang-yelled. "This song is so awesome," Christina hollered.
"Totally," Jesse nodded in agreement pulled her to him to keep her from tripping again then glanced at the time.
He smiled when she ran her finger over the scratches on his face and sighed at the fact that it didn't do what Beca's touch did. He wasn't sure anyone would ever affect him the way Beca did.
"These make you hot," she told him, referring to the scratches on his face. "How d'you get 'em?"
"I got hit by a car," he told as he smiled at her and made her laugh.
Jesse wasn't surprised when Christina leaned in for a kiss. There wasn't much distance between them and she was intoxicated. It made sense. He kissed her back briefly then pulled away. He wasn't the type that took advantage of drunk women. And, despite the fact that he was technically single it felt wrong to kiss someone that isn't Beca.
"You gonna get noise complaints," Jesse said then walked to the dock system and lowered the volume. "It's 3:30 in the morning," he told her when she booed him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she reached for the crackers then jumped on the bed.
"I really don't know," he shrugged and walked to the balcony. He stood in front of it then sighed before tilting his head to look at her. "Drink that glass of water, it'll help a little with the intensity of your hangover," he said watching her stuff her mouth with crackers.
"Okay," she mumbled.
"Guess, I'll see you around then?" he stuffed his hands in his pockets. She nodded as she chewed.
"Take care," he said over his shoulders as he made his way to the front door.
AN: I wanna thank you all for reading. Thoughts on the developments are nice to hear.
Have a good day, peeps. Until next time, adios.